Brave Emperor in for a fight as he tries to qualify for Kentucky Derby at Chelmsford City

Brave Emperor currently ranks in a tie for the lead in the European qualifying series for the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 6.

To clinch the single berth available from the series, Brave Emperor will need the best race of his already accomplished career when he starts in Saturday’s $123,800 Cardinal Condition Stakes at a mile on the synthetic track at Chelmsford City Racecourse near London.

There are 60 qualifying points available in the Cardinal Stakes, with 30-12-9-6-3 points available to the first five finishers. Brave Emperor has 20 points, the same as Cairo, who won the Patton Stakes in Ireland on March 3, but was 10th of 13 in the Group 2 United Arab Emirates Derby at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai on March 25.

Brave Emperor is one of two Triple Crown nominees in a field of 11 in the Cardinal Stakes along with Stormy Entry, a Kentucky-bred colt who earned 6 points by finishing third in the Patton Stakes. Cairo is not part of the field.

Stormy Entry was nominated to the Triple Crown for $500 earlier this year, while Brave Emperor was nominated for $6,000 earlier this week. Horses can be supplemented to the Kentucky Derby for $200,000 on day of entries.

:: KENTUCKY DERBY 2023: Derby Watch, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more

The Cardinal Stakes is the last of seven races in the European qualifying series.

Brave Emperor or Stormy Entry can clinch a Kentucky Derby berth with a win on Saturday, but the Cardinal Stakes will be a difficult test for the pair.

Alzahir and Tenjin, second and third behind Brave Emperor in the Road to the Kentucky Derby Condition Stakes at Kempton Park on March 15, are part of the field, along with the well-regarded Bold Act, who won 3 of 4 starts as a 2-year-old and will have his first start of the year on Saturday.

Brave Emperor, a winner of 5 of 7 starts for the Middleham Park Racing syndicate and trainer Archie Watson, won the Kempton Park race by a head, fighting off a stubborn Alzahir. Brave Emperor was near the front throughout the one-mile race.

“They came to him and he went again,” said Tom Palin, the racing manager for Middleham Park racing. “If you put him in a battle, you don’t know where that top end is.”

The Cardinal Stakes will be Stormy Entry’s first start outside of Ireland. Trained by Willie Browne for owner and breeder Charles Fipke, Stormy Entry has won 2 of 4 starts. In the Patton Stakes at a mile, Stormy Entry raced near the front, but was not a factor late, finishing 3 1/4 lengths behind Cairo.

The Cardinal Stakes has a post time of 2 p.m. Eastern or 11 a.m. Pacific and is part of a seven-race program at Chelmsford. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.